Prevention & Recovery

The signs and symptoms of schizophrenia

Prevention & Recovery

The signs and symptoms of schizophrenia

"Schizophrenia represents a psychiatric disorder that is often first detected in late adolescence/early adulthood," says Gary Remington, head of the Schizophrenia Program at the University of Toronto. "It is felt to be, at least in part, biological, although environmental factors like stress and drug use are also felt to play a role."

The disorder, he says, is characterized by changes in behaviour and thinking, so symptoms can be diverse. Some include depression and unusual thoughts that can lead to prominent alterations in mood and behaviour.

Because of the wide range of possible symptoms, Remington notes there are no specific biological 'markers' in diagnosing schizophrenia. Instead, identification is based on clinical examination and the finding of a cluster of symptoms that fit the diagnosis. As many of the symptoms are not unique to schizophrenia, it is important to consult a doctor for diagnosis.

Symptoms Like many illnesses, schizophrenia is considered to be a lifelong disorder that benefits from early intervention and ongoing care. Here, Remington, who also works with the Centre of Addiction and Mental Health, breaks down the symptoms of the disorder into 4 different classes.

1. Positive "Positive symptoms are characterized by unusual interpretations of the surrounding environment," explains Remington. The two most common symptoms in this category are delusions and hallucinations. Delusions can be described as having beliefs not based on fact. These beliefs can include a sense of paranoia or having special powers, says Remington. People experiencing delusions may believe that their bodies are being controlled by outside forces and may be wary of the people around them.

Hallucinations are disturbances in perception. If people hear, see, taste, smell or feel something that does not actually exist, they may be hallucinating. The most common hallucinations are auditory. "As one might imagine," says Remington, "such experiences can result in people sounding or acting quite unusual or even bizarre."

2. NegativeNegative symptoms relate to loss of functioning, says Remington. People may become withdrawn, demonstrate a lack of motivation and lose interest in activities they may have been interested in previously.

3. Cognitive Cognitive symptoms can vary from subtle changes in behaviour and concentration to serious disorganized thinking, which may be reflected in a person's speech. 4. Affective Affective symptoms can be described as changes in mood. The most common of these is depression, says Remington, although the individual may also experience significant anxiety. Irritability and aggression are also common among people with schizophrenia. These two symptoms, Remington says, can reflect misinterpretations of the surrounding environment. "[There is a] frustration that others cannot appreciate what they are experiencing and are trying to talk them out of what they feel are real experiences."

Helpful resources If you or anyone you know are experiencing these symptoms, or for more information on the causes, symptoms and treatments of schizophrenia, consult:

Baking & Desserts

Our best muffin recipes

Whip up a dozen moist muffins on a leisurely Sunday morning. Or better yet, set out the muffin recipe ingredients the night before and let the first person up bake a batch for everyone. Most of these muffin recipes can be made in advance and frozen.

Sleep

9 easy ways to get more—and better!—sleep

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Arianna Huffington says the key to health, happiness, success and even economic prosperity is simple: everyone needs to sleep more. Sounds great, but how do we actually make it happen? Here are her best tips.

Self-described "sleep evangelist" Arianna Huffington comes by her obsession with rest honestly: in April 2007, after an exhausting trip spent touring prospective colleges with her daughter, Christina, during the day and frantically catching up on emails at night, she collapsed in her office. When she woke up hours later, she had a broken cheekbone and no idea what was wrong with her. After trekking from doctor to doctor trying to find out, the answer was both reassuring (she wasn't suffering from a scary disease) and not (she was burnt out, sleep deprived—essentially, making herself ill). Unsurprisingly, she quickly began taking sleep seriously. So seriously, in fact, that she threw herself into research—which turned into a book, The Sleep Revolution, released earlier this year—and started telling everyone what she learned. (We weren't joking about the "sleep evangelist" thing.) We chatted with Huffington about why women should carve out time for rest, how to get high-quality sleep and what to do when you fall back into old habits. Here's what she said.

1. Forget work-life balance. There's no such thing, according to Huffington. "Realistically, life is never balanced; we have a sick toddler one night, a big deadline the other night. For me, it's all about work-life integration, and bringing joy as well as productivity to everything we do," she says. "And I feel women need to realize that what they tell us on airplanes is the truth: put your own oxygen mask on first." Meaning: you can't take care of anyone else if you don't take care of yourself, first.

2. Do less binge-watching. Huffington doesn't buy the idea that there just aren't enough hours in the day to work, parent, exercise, socialize and sleep, too. "We all have more discretionary time than we acknowledge," she says. "You know, somebody's watching House of Cards [right now]. I've only seen one episode. I love the show; I would love to see the rest of it. But you know what? If something has to give, it's going to be House of Cards."

3. Ditch the tech. Speaking of binge-watching… You've probably heard this before, but chances are you didn't listen, so it bears repeating: ban devices from your bedroom. "Before I go to sleep, I power down all my devices and gently escort them out of my bedroom," Huffington says. "Once I get into bed, I only read physical books. And always books that have nothing to do with work—poetry, novels. I don't read anything on-screen, and I never watch TV just before I'm going to sleep."

4. Develop a bedtime routine. "The most important thing is to have a transition to sleep," Huffington says. "I think the biggest mistake we make in modern life is we have no transition. We can be on our smartphones, answering emails, texting until the last moment, and then turn off the light and go to sleep. That doesn't work." Huffington's ritual starts 30 minutes before she wants to go to sleep. That's when she powers down her phone, tablet and laptop, turns off all the lights and has a hot bath. If 30 minutes feels like too much time, start with five minutes, she advises.

5. Be consistent—even when you're travelling. Whether you're going out of town for work or play, it's important to keep up your bedtime routine. To make it easier, Huffington always packs an eye mask, noise-cancelling headphones, a candle (to give the space a homey vibe) and masking tape (to cover up all those annoying blinking lights). "You have to get organized," she says. "But once you do, and you realize what a benefit it brings you, it's not difficult. It only takes five minutes to cover the lights and put the temperature down; it's not like these things are time consuming."

6. Buy new PJs. Huffington says whatever you wear to bed should only be worn to bed. "After my bath, I get in my nice PJs. But it could even be a special t-shirt, as long as it's something I only wear to sleep," she says. "I used to sleep in my gym clothes, but that sends your brain confusing, conflicting messages: are we going to the gym or are lying down?"

7. Say no sometimes. We're all busy, but Huffington says it's important not to give into the temptation to over-schedule. "I so dislike the person I become when I'm sleep deprived: more irritable, more reactive, less and less present with less joy in my life," she says. But acknowledging the consequences of skimping on sleep makes it easier for her to prioritize. Take, for example, a recent evening when she unexpectedly ran into close friends: "I would have loved to go to dinner with them, but I had a very early start this morning, so I didn't. And when I say that to you, you may think it sounds like a sacrifice, but it doesn't to me anymore."

8. Don't worry about falling off the sleep bandwagon. Everyone slips up sometimes, even Huffington. "I'm a work in progress. But you know, I don't think anyone, even somebody who talks about this as much as I do, would do this perfectly. For me, the most important thing is to course correct quickly."

9. Have a plan of attack for insomnia.The Sleep Revolution has an entire chapter devoted to sleep best practices: make sure your room is dark and cool, get enough physical activity, don't drink coffee or alcohol too close to bedtime… but even the most dedicated sleeper will sometimes have a sleepless night. Instead of getting stressed about it, though, Huffington's advice is to meditate. In the book, she writes, "Since we find it harder and harder to retreat into ourselves in the middle of our busy days, the retreat in the middle of the night—whether through sleep or meditation—can be reframed as a precious luxury. This certainly didn't come easily to me. But I was able to train myself to see the time spent meditating in the middle of the night as productive and enriching instead of lying awake in bed resenting the fact that I was wasting my time lying awake in bed."

Spent the night tossing and turning? Here's how to recover from a bad sleep.

Culture & Entertainment

6 mistakes newlyweds make when assuming a spouse’s name

Culture & Entertainment

6 mistakes newlyweds make when assuming a spouse’s name

So you’re newly married or preparing to say “I do.” Despite modern conventions, there’s still
good reason to assume your husband’s (or wife's) last name. Just be sure you don’t fall into one of these name-change traps.
1. Waiting too long In Ontario, a name change is free if you apply within 90 days of your wedding date. If you apply after this date, the province will charge you. Similar guidelines will apply elsewhere as well. Keep in mind that it also takes four to six weeks for your new driver’s licence and health card to arrive in the mail.
2. Starting the process too soon If you leave for your
honeymoon a month after your wedding, your itinerary will need to match personal identification. Either start the process after you return to Canada, or remember to use your husband’s name when booking your vacation.
3. Forgetting the parental implications If you have children from a previous relationship, the decision to assume your new husband’s name becomes more complex. Unless your children share your last name (or they have a hyphenated surname that includes both mom and dad’s last names), chances are you’ll encounter hiccups when
travelling internationally. Never cross the border or head to the airport without appropriate
documents proving your relationship and the co-parent’s consent, otherwise abduction flags will be raised.
4. Hyphenating without going through the right channels Hyphenating your last name to include your husband’s is equivalent to dropping your maiden name. You still have to go through all the same channels.
5. Thinking changing and assuming your name are the same To formally change your last name, you’ll need to go through a lawyer, whether you’re changing it to your husband’s surname or both of you are taking on a trailblazing new name together. This means even your birth certificate will reflect the change. Assuming your spouse’s name is less involved.
6. Expecting a service to do it all for you While name-change services will help you complete the necessary paperwork in an organized and timely fashion, they can only update the documents that they know of. If you forget to notify them about a car title, alumni association or magazine subscription, you’ll have to deal with that on your own at a later date.
Photo courtesy FlickrCC/Search Influence